Why rail journeys were delayed around Gatwick this morning

Rail passengers faced delays of up to 30 minutes in the Gatwick area this morning (Wednesday February 13) due to a signalling fault.

At around 9.40am, Network Rail confirmed a fault with their signalling equipment in the Earlswood area, which was affecting all lines southbound towards Gatwick Airport.

Whilst engineers investigated and assessed the situation, all southbound trains were required to stop at the affected signals and contact the signalling centre to obtain verbal permission prior to proceeding.

This process added delays of up to ten minutes per train, per signal.

During this time, three signals were affected which meant delays of up to 30 minutes were expected.

Southern say as a result of this, it was necessary to reduce the number of trains passing through this route to alleviate a significant build up of trains and delays to return journeys.

Shortly after 10.50am, it was confirmed that the signalling failure was caused by a blown fuse which required replacing.

All lines have now been re-opened but there may still be delays as the service returns to normal.